Maybe, Just Maybe
by Bella Gattino
Summary: Just when Bella makes the decision to fight for Jake's love, a tragic accident rips them apart forever. Jake must find the strength to go on with his life and survive her death. Maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to move on.
1. Chapter 1

Okay this story is completely due to 2 of the most amazing people. Thank you Mist and Chele. Also a huge thank goes to Emergency Beta Services for helping with the summary.

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Maybe, Just Maybe

Chapter 1

"Jake, please call me." Bella sighed as she hung up the phone. She hated how whiny her voice had turned in the last few days but she felt hollow again without Jake and she couldn't stand the idea that what she had said to Jake had finally pushed him out of her life. He had promised her that he wouldn't give up, that he wouldn't hurt her. But as she listened to Harry and Charlie in the kitchen she realized just how much she was hurt.

She had ached for Edward, and if the truth was to be known she still loved him but it didn't bare comparison to the love she now felt for Jake.

Jake had been there when she didn't have anyone else to pick her up and dust her off and he had not only done that he had made her world a better place. She couldn't and she wouldn't live a life without him, it wasn't something she was willing to do and as her dad came into the living room she made up her mind. She didn't give a damn if he didn't want to see her, she wanted to see him and she was done doing what every one else wanted her to do.

She heard her dad sigh behind her as he stepped behind her, "I don't have to go fishing."

"Yes you do." Harry replied and Bella nodded as she turned.

"Yes you do, go have fun but be careful." She said needing him out of the house. She didn't want to have to explain why she was going to Jake's and more importantly she didn't want him to tell her not to go because she _**was**_ going.

"Are you sure?" He asked but she smiled seeing the want to go in his face.

"Of course, go." She smiled and hoped he couldn't see her desire for him to go on her own face.

He stared at her for a moment then nodded, "Okay, we will be back in a few hours."

She waved off his concern, "Go, have fun, don't rush."

He paused again and nodded, "Okay."

Bella watched as he gathered his pole and other belongings and followed Harry out the front door. Bella leaned back against the desk and waited for the sound of Harry's truck to fade in the distance before she turned and climbed the stairs in search for a jacket and her keys.

Bella worried her bottom lip as she pulled the front door closed behind her, she couldn't seem to fight the butterflies in her stomach and they were threatening to rip through her flannel shirt.

She carefully made her way down the stairs to her truck congratulating herself on not falling on the ice that littered the front walk.

She climbed into her truck and took a moment to remember all the times that she and Jake had spent in the truck and it only seemed to solidify her resolve to get him back into her life. With a small smile and a nod she started her truck and pulled out of her drive way.


	2. Chapter 2

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Maybe, Just Maybe

Chapter 2

Jake squinted into the sun before he rested his head on paws as he looked out over the south end of the reservation. He didn't know if it was just his imagination or if he could actually make out the back of Bella's house from his viewpoint but nevertheless he felt closer to Bella here and that was the only reason he chose the spot to do his share of the patrols.

"_It's just your imagination." _Embry said as he came to a stop beside his best friend.

Jake looked up with a grunt, _"I'm not so sure." _

Embry shrugged the best he could in his current form and joined Jake on the ground, _"If you want to go and check on her I'll keep a watch out." _

Jake looked at Embry a shocked look flashing across his eyes. Sam had gave him direct orders to have no connections with Bella and while it killed Jake to hear her voice on his voice mail or the answering machine at home he couldn't imagine never hearing her voice again. He sighed and shook his head, he had relinquished the title of Alpha to Sam and until he took the steps to take it back from him he was as much under his thumb as any other the other wolfs never mind that he was the Chief's son.

"_You know I can't." _Jake replied quietly with a sigh.

"_I know, I just hate to see you so sad." _Embry replied never looking at Jake.

"_I'll be okay." _Jake replied, the lie souring on his tongue.

Both Jake and Embry felt Jared the moment he shifted and Jake shot to his feet as he heard Jared call his name and heard the panic in his voice.

"_Jake!" _

"_What?" _

"_Get home, now." _It was all Jake needed to turn leaving Embry without a word as he ran as fast a his paws would carry him. He ducked and lunged over fallen logs and low hanging limbs as if he knew where every rock, limb and bush was at, and in reality he did. He was part of the forest now, and he knew it's secrets just as it knew his.

He pushed through the woods that lined his back yard to find his father on the back porch his face dark with worry.

Jake pulled his beast back into his body and shifted, unconcerned with his nudity. "What's wrong Dad?" He asked, his breath still coming in gasps as he stepped up the back steps. He took a second to untie his jeans from his legs and pulled them up his legs as his dad spoke.

"Harry just called," Jake nodded, "Charlie got home from fishing and Bella's truck is gone."

Jake's movements stilled and he looked up at his father, "What do you mean gone?"

"She's missing Jake and Charlie doesn't know where she is." Billy watched helplessly as his son turned and ran back into the woods, the sound of Jake's jeans ripping from his body the only sound.

"_What's going on?" _Jake heard Embry the instant he changed and he could feel his friend coming toward him.

"_Bella's missing." _

"_Oh shit." _

"_Go north, I'm going south back toward her house. Let me know the instant you see, hear or smell anything." _

"_I will." _Embry paused for a second, _"We will find her."_

"_I know we will." _Jake replied but his heart ached with fear.


	3. Chapter 3

Maybe, Just Maybe

Chapter 3

Jake followed the boundary line in a straight line toward Charlie's house. He needed to start where he knew she had been, he had to make sure that it wasn't a leech of some kind that had kidnapped her. He had to make sure she was alone first.

He inhaled deeply as he crossed onto the back of Charlie's property. He saw Harry step into view in one of kitchen windows and he carefully moved through the backyard and into the front yard where she always parked her truck his nose to the ground. He could follow her scent from the front door to where her truck usually was then the scent became fainter and he knew that she had left in her truck, alone.

He moved to the road, and knew that he was taking a huge chance by following her scent down the road. The idea of a bear sized dog traveling down the road wasn't something that many people would over look but he knew he had no other choice. His sense of smell was strong in his human form but it wasn't enough for him to be able to smell her in the truck. He closed his eyes, sent a prayer heaven ward to whatever Gods might be listening and stepped onto the road.

Twenty minutes later he was back on Quileute land, his nose still to the road her scent never gaining or losing power. He moved quicker thinking that maybe just maybe he would follow her scent all the way to his house. The idea brought a jump to his heart, Sam had said he couldn't answer her calls or go see her he had never said she couldn't come and see him. _Maybe, just maybe she was waiting for him at his house_.

He was so wrapped up in the what ifs that it took him a second to realize that he had lost her scent. He stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed left to right in the road but there was nothing, no sign she had ever been there.

He moved further back down the road until he picked up her scent again. He slowly made his way back toward his house but just as he crossed a patch of ice on the road her scent died.

He stared down at the ice, his reflection staring back at him as his mind swam with the possibilities. He slowly, as if he knew what he would find, moved to the edge of the road and with his heart in his chest inhaled deeply as he looked over the cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.

"_What is it?" _He heard Embry's voice as he jumped over the cliff tumbling most of the way down the steep embankment but never answered him unable to force the words out of his chest.

He ran the rest of the way to the waves pulling his beast back into his body and dove into the icy Ocean waves hoping with all his heart that he hadn't seen what he thought he had seen on the cliffs.

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A/N: Okay I figure that it is cruel to leaving you hanging here so I will be posting chapter 4 in just a few minutes. So please let me know what you think. Thanks Mist, the most amazing Beta, and Chele the best pre-reader ever! I love you both bunches.


	4. Chapter 4

Maybe, Just Maybe

Chapter 4

He blinked against the sting of the salt water in his eyes as he dove deeper and deeper into the bitterly cold water. He felt his toes go numb almost instantly but nothing slowed him, he pushed through the pain unwilling to waste a moment.

His heart stopped in chest as he saw the hazy outline of his Dad's old Chevy in the murky water. He pushed faster, harder toward the metal beast praying that the cab wouldn't hold his worst fear.

It only took a second for him to realize that his prayers weren't answered. He could see Bella's form floating inside the cab, her hair spreading out in the water like a dark halo around her head. He roared as he beat against the window his water slowed fists unable to break through the glass. He pulled on the door with all his strength and heard it groan just before it opened wide enough for him to force it open further.

He felt the faint twinge of pain of his lungs in their need for oxygen but nothing could ever hurt as badly as his heart ached as he wrapped his hand around her ice cold leg and pulled her weightless body toward him.

He fought the urge to sob as he pulled her limp body against his, groaning as her icy skin touched his. He pushed off from the truck and kicked his way to the surface, his weightless burden tucked gently under his arm.

He broke the surface of the icy Pacific and inhaled great gasps of air but no matter how much he inhaled he couldn't ease the ache in his chest.

"Bella," He called to her as he held her head above the water as he pushed closer and closer to the shore. "Please, Gods don't take her away from me." He whispered as his feet touched the sandy floor of the Ocean. He turned her body and lifted her with both arms and finally had the nerve to look down on her beautiful face.

He heard the sob but it wasn't until one of his tears splashed onto her face that he realized that he was crying. He cleared the tides reach as Embry crossed from the woods onto the beach. He didn't have to look up to know that Embry paused as he fell to his knees. Bella's lifeless body clutched tightly in his arms.

He moved her to the sand, and started chest compressions, blowing mouth fulls of air into hers. He listened for her heart, pausing only once in his movements never giving up hope, never stopping his prayers, her name falling from his lips with each press of his hands.

He didn't know how long he had been there on his knees when he heard the crowd descend on the beach but he understood that they would take her away from him. He growled as he scooped her from the beach and held her cold limp body against his chest.

"Jake?" Embry called as he stepped near his still naked friend as he rocked back and forth.

"Bella." He whispered softly as he buried his face into her wet hair and Embry's heart broke at the pain that flowed off his best friend and knelt beside him.

"Jake, Charlie is coming. You are going to have to give her to him." Embry paused as he placed his hand on Jake's shoulder and sighed as he jerked from his touch.

"She's my Bella." He whispered and Embry watched as Jake lowered her slightly to look down at her face Embry's heart ached as he looked at her lifeless face, her lips blue and her already white skin nearly translucent.

"No!" Charlie screamed as he raced across the beach. He stumbled, falling to the sand with a grunt before struggling back to feet and falling to his knees in front of Jake. "Bells." He whispered as he reached out to take Bella's form from Jake.

"My Bells." Jake whispered his eyes never leaving her face as he rocked back and forth.

"Jake," Harry spoke firmly as he stepped next to him before kneeling onto the sand. "Jake give Bella to Charlie." He looked over Charlie's shoulder as a crew of EMT's raced across the beach medical supplies in tow.

"Jake look at me." Jake's head slowly rose as he heard Sam's voice as if he was fighting with every ounce of his being to ignore his Alpha, "Give Bella to Charlie." Sam knelled on the sand between Embry and Jake.

Jake watched helplessly as his arms lowered and Charlie pulled Bella from his grasp. He wrapped his arms around himself, and rocked back and forth. He leaned forward, his forehead against the sand and he felt the burn of the scream that tore through his body. He inhaled and his body shook as he screamed again.

"Clear!" He looked up only to watch Bella's back bow against the sand as they attempted to shock her heart back to a rhythm but he knew it hadn't took. His own heart seemed to to have stopped in his chest and he knew that if hers never beat against neither would his. He watched in horror as they shocked her again after injecting a syringe full of medicine into her chest.

He lifted his eyes to the closest EMT as he sighed and shook his head. "NO!" He roared, shoving people out of his way and wrapped his arms around Bella's body pulling her to his chest again. "Please Gods," He tilted his head back and screamed as loudly as he could hoping that maybe just maybe he hadn't been loud enough with his prayers, "Don't take her away from me!" He waited to hear her take a raspy breath, to feel her shake against his chest as she realized how cold she was, to hear her whisper his name as she looked up at him. But none of that happened, and he watched as they pried his arms away from her, and lifted her onto the back board one of the EMT's had brought. He sat there his hands in his lap, his eyes never leaving where she had been just a moment before as they carried her across the sand. He heard the roar of the ambulance's motor but still he never moved.

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A/N: Please don't hate me for this, and please don't stop reading at this point. I promise I will worth it make your time to read. Let me know what you think. Thanks so much to Mist and Chele. Love you both!


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